2018 TOYOTA RAV4 XLE VIN JTMWFREV7JJ164679

The Toyota RAV4 XLE described here left the factory in 2018. The engine is a 2.5-litre petrol unit with four cylinders. Power reaches the wheels through an automatic gearbox. Every figure for this car is given as it appears in the source data.

The recorded mileage is 94,114 miles. Miles and kilometres are easy to confuse, and a distance in miles looks lower than the same distance in kilometres. A single figure proves little: what makes a mileage believable is a series of readings that rise steadily over the years. Figures carry most weight when they come from independent sources: workshops, inspection stations and past title paperwork.

In the source data, the main issue is front-end damage. The damage type is a short label: the extent of the damage and the quality of any repair still have to be judged on the car. With front-end damage on file, the inspection should start with the radiator support, the headlamp mountings and the front crash structure.

A key was there when the car was checked. Condition notes are a snapshot: the car may have been worked on, stripped of parts or left standing since.

The record shows a salvage title. Titles of this type are issued to cars declared a total loss.

A car’s history is everything logged against it since it left the factory: registrations and owners, inspections, repairs and insurance claims. Pieces of a car’s history sit with registries, dealers, workshops and insurance companies, and none of them sees the whole picture. A car’s past rarely shows on the paintwork: a well-repaired accident or water damage that was dried out is easy to miss.

A cold start, the colour of the exhaust smoke and any oil leaks tell a mechanic a good deal about how an engine has been treated. On a petrol engine, spark plugs, ignition coils and the cooling system are the routine items a service history should cover. The automatic gearbox needs its fluid changed at the manufacturer’s intervals, and invoices should show that it was.

A vehicle identification number has 17 characters: the first three name the manufacturer, the next six describe the model and its specification, and the last eight identify the individual car. For this car, the VIN is JTMWFREV7JJ164679.

A VIN report gathers what different sources know about a car, such as the number of owners, mileage readings, damage and any branded title. However complete the paperwork, only an inspection shows the condition of the body, suspension, brakes and electrics today. Before making a decision about this Toyota RAV4 XLE, check the history behind VIN JTMWFREV7JJ164679.